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PERRY LAKE MURDER CODEFENDANT PLEADS GUILTY DURING JURY TRIAL

06/14/2019

OSKALOOSA, KANSAS - Jefferson County Attorney Josh Ney announced today that Ashlyn N. Hemmerling has pled guilty to First Degree Premeditated Murder for the March 14, 2018 shooting death of Taylor Dean Sawyer. Hemmerling pled guilty on the original charge after the conclusion of the state’s evidence during a jury trial this week.


Ney presented the State’s case during the three-day trial.
“Indifference to the value of human life cannot be tolerated in a just society,” Ney said. “Thanks to the quality of this investigation, the defendant will be held accountable for her involvement in Taylor’s murder.”


Taylor Sawyer, a 22 year-old man from Lawrence, was shot to death in a remote area near Perry Lake on March 14, 2018. Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Herrig learned of the shooting death within hours of the murder and initiated a multi-agency coordinated investigation.


“I’m pleased the good working relationship between my office and the county attorney ensured the defendant and the public heard clear evidence of how she and her associate Jonathan Blevins murdered Taylor that night,” Herrig said.


Sentencing is set for July 25, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. Sentencing is open to the public.

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